It Takes Time
by Phaser89
Summary: It takes time. It takes time to get over something like that and sometimes you never fully recover. Something like that changes you, sometimes not for the better. It's hard. Months have passed since Ruby left home leaving behind Yang and their father. How does Yang keep going day-to-day? Mild to heavy depression themes. All rights are reserved by Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.
1. A Broken Spirit

"Come back! Where are you going?" I was running after her as fast I could. My heart and ears were pounding but I was slowly catching up to her. "Stop running!" I reached out and my arm wasn't there. I was so shocked I stumbled and fell, allowing her to get away. "Come back! Blake!" I shot up in bed, waking from my nightmare. It was incredibly dark and the shattered moon was hanging in the sky. Light came from my left and I looked over and saw dad.

"Are you okay Yang? I heard you yelling." I sighed and put my head back on the pillow. "Yeah dad, I'm fine." I rolled over and faced the window. A light weight pressed down on my feet and I looked to see Zwei. _Dad must've let him in._ I heard my door close and his footsteps in the hallway. I sighed again and tried to go back to sleep.

The sunlight coming through my window woke me up. I flipped the cover off me and shifted my legs over the side of my bed. I didn't want to get up. I wanted to lay in bed but I knew dad would come get me if I didn't come downstairs. I heard a snort to my left. Zwei was rolling over to standup and hopped off my bed. He turned and yipped at me, wanting me to follow him. I stepped into my slippers and followed him down the stairs.

I stepped into the living room and sat down on the couch. Zwei jumped on the couch next to me and sat down before laying on his back and quickly falling asleep again. "I'm heading out for a trip. I won't be back until tomorrow. Do you want anything for breakfast before I leave?" I looked over and dad was poking his head out of the kitchen. "No thanks, I'm not really hungry." I knew he wasn't going to take that as an answer and sure enough. "Okay toast it is then."

A minute or two later and he placed a plate with four slices of toast in front of me. "Thanks dad." He ruffled my hair and kissed my forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow." He left leaving me alone with Zwei and my toast. I turned the tv on and absentmindedly ate my toast. I didn't pay attention to the screen; it was all just background noise and distractions anyway. _Everything is background noise and distractions._

It had been a couple months since Ruby left. Dad was worried at first, then furious, then I think he figured out why she left. I didn't care. Let her leave just like everyone else. Mom, Blake, and now Ruby too. _Everyone leaves me… eventually._ I took my plate out to the sink and washed it. The least I could do to help dad was clean up a bit. I took my time and slowly went to work on cleaning up the house. I think dad purposefully lets stuff get dusty to give me something to do. I started in the living room by dusting the mantle. I stopped at our family picture. It was of dad, Qrow, Ruby, and myself. Looking at it made me so angry. _What good am I now?_ I closed my eyes and heard a loud shattering. When I opened my eyes my arm was outstretched and the frame was laying shattered against the wall. I collapsed onto the floor and started crying. Zwei nudged me and climbed into my lap.

I don't know how long I was lying there. I eventually got up and walked over to the frame. I gently pulled the picture from the splinters and glass shards. "Come on Zwei, we need to go into town." Zwei trotted along as we left the house and went to town. I went into a little knick-knack shop that had a few picture frames in the window. "Ah Miss Xiao-Long, how may I help you?" _She must know dad._ She was about half my height with graying hair. "I was hoping you had a picture frame that would fit this." I handed her the picture and she looked at it from behind her half-moon glasses. "One moment please." She walked around the shop briskly and scanned the shelves. Zwei trotted behind her happily waking his stumpy tail. She pulled a box from one of the shelves near the front and opened it. She pulled a nice looking silver frame out and placed the picture neatly inside.

As I was watching her I realized I didn't have any money on me. She handed me the new frame. "You have a nice day now." I didn't move. "But what about-" She smiled and lightly pushed me towards the door. "It's okay. I owed Tai a favor for some work he did. Go on home now." I stepped through the doorway and turned around. "Thank you ma'am." Zwei followed me outside and we went home.

I placed the picture right where it was and cleaned up the remains of the old frame. I went back to cleaning the house as Zwei slept on the couch. By the time I finished it was getting dark. I made sure the door was locked and went upstairs to go to bed. I got in bed and as soon as I got comfortable Zwei jumped up and nestled into his spot. I rolled over and stared out the window at the shattered moon. _Shattered just like me._ I sighed and tried to go to sleep.


	2. A Shattered Confidence

I was floating… floating in complete and total darkness. _Where am I?_ I couldn't move, my arms and legs felt so heavy. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry." _That's Blake's voice!_ I could hear the tears and sadness in her voice. I tried to shout out to her but I couldn't make the words come out. Suddenly I was falling. Falling incredibly fast towards a light far below me. The closer I got the clearer the picture became. A figure was standing over Blake and just stabbed his sword into her stomach. "Get away from her!" I pulled my fist back as I was flying towards him. Just as I was about to strike everything went black.

I woke up with a splitting headache. When I tried to stand I almost stumbled and fell. _What I can't even walk now?_ I got to the stairs and leaned on the wall as I took the steps one at a time. I made it to the kitchen and raided the medicine cabinet for anything to make this headache go away. I heard whimpering and a small yip. "I'm fine Zwei." I put some food in his bowl and placed some bread in the toaster. I poured a small glass of water and waited for the toaster to pop. Those dreams keep haunting me. I can't escape them, and every time I close my eyes I see… him.

I jumped when the toaster popped. I grabbed a plate and my toast and sat at the table. Dad said he'd be back today but he probably won't be home until the afternoon. I ate my toast but the headache wouldn't go away. I went back upstairs and took a hot shower. The heat helped and soon my headache was gone. I got dressed and went back downstairs. _Where's Zwei?_ I didn't see him on the couch or in the kitchen so he must've been outside.

I sat down on the couch and turned the tv on. It was the news and a video clip showed Glynda trying to repair a building. "...with no end in sight. Try as they might, the Huntsmen and Huntresses can't seem to get a hold of the situation at Beacon Academy." I changed the channel and this time it was a newscast about the CCT. Apparently they're trying to repair it. "...though the fail safes have supported wireless communication within the kingdom, the loss of the CCT Tower continues to prevent contact with the outside world. Talks with Atlas officials regarding repairs have so far—" I got bored of this and changed the channel again. "...Vale council voted this week to ban any air traffic that does not have a direct correlation with evacuation. The council has made it clear that they feel—" Click.

I stopped on the next channel. "Multiple rumors continue to circulate as to who was behind the attacks at the Vytal Festival Tournament. While no one knows for sure, officials have confirmed that high-ranking White Fang member, Adam Taurus was present for the attack. Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force—" I couldn't watch it anymore and turned the tv off.

"I'm home!" I set the remote down and leaned my head back. I saw an upside-down view of dad carrying some bags and a couple of boxes. "Hey, Dad." He shut the door as he stepped into the living room. "Guess what came in today!" I looked as he headed to another room to set the bags and boxes down. "What?" He seemed excited and happy. "I can't wait for you to try this." He came back in with a long white box. He set it in front of me. It had the Atlas symbol on the lid. "Well?" I looked up. "It's… for me?" He smiled wide. "For you and only you." I lifted the lid on the box and inside was a new prosthetic right arm. _Oh…_ "Brand new, state of the art Atlas tech. You know, I thought I was gonna have to pull some strings, call in a few favors, but you earned this one all on your own, kiddo." _I earned it?_ "Huh?" I looked up and he was still smiling. "Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this, for you. He wanted me to tell you that you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself." _So, that's where he went._ I didn't know what to say to him and all I could do was look at him. "Well? You going to try it on?" I was stunned. I know he meant well but I really didn't want to see this at all. "I, uh… I'm not feeling to great right now. Maybe later?" He sighed and put his hand on his neck. _Great now I'm making him feel bad._ "Well, alright." I got up and headed for the stairs. I got a few steps up and turned. "Thanks, Dad." I went to my room and sat on the floor.

I could feel the tears in my eyes. _Don't cry, you're stronger than this. Don't cry dammit!_ I forced myself to stand up. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. The tears went away and I decided to do my chores for the day. I swept the front porch off and went and got the mail. When I came back in Dad was staring at the picture and new frame it was in. I set the mail down and he glanced over at me. _He noticed._ I was preparing for him to ask me about it. "Do you remember when we took this picture?" I nodded and he smiled. "It was nice having us all together at the same time. We'll have to take another one when we're all together again." I smiled slightly, nodded, and went into the kitchen. I turned the faucet on ran the dishes under the water. The glass slipped out of my hand and I couldn't catch it before it shattered on the floor.

All I could see was black. I heard a sword speeding through the air and saw the haunting red markings of his mask. "Agh!" I stumbled backwards bumping into the counter. _No, don't let fear take you._ I slammed my fist down in frustration, the impact helping steady my breathing. I grabbed the dust pan and scooped the shards of glass up. _I can't do anything._ I dumped them in the trash and left the kitchen.

"Wanna watch a movie with me, Yang?" Dad was sitting on the couch with the remote in his hand. "Sure, whatever you want to watch is fine." _Maybe this will get my mind away from things._ I sat down next to him as he selected a movie. "I heard a lot about this movie. It's called Lazer Team, I think you'll enjoy it." A little way into the movie I started getting cold and leaned against Dad, resting my head on him. Ever so slowly he wrapped his arm around me and all at once I was a little girl again, scared because I didn't know what to do. Quiet tears streamed down my face and I gripped tightly to his arm. He didn't say anything but pulled me closer and held me in a safe and loving embrace.

I opened my eyes and I was looking up at my ceiling. _Dad must've carried me up here._ Zwei was snuggled up against my side. I smiled to myself, a genuine smile. I rubbed Zwei's head. I sighed happily and went back to sleep.


	3. A Fragile Psyche

I was staring into a giant mirror that was in the middle of a classroom. My reflection was staring back at me. The only difference being she had both her arms. I moved to turn away. "Don't look away from me." I turned back in shock. The me in the mirror was sneering and had her arms crossed. "Aw what's wrong? Goldilocks can't stand to look at herself?" She reached out and her hand came through the mirror. Slowly she climbed out of the mirror and started walking towards me. "What do you want with me?" I screamed at her. She laughed with my laugh. "It's not what I want with you, it's what you want with yourself." She continued to walk towards me as I backed away. "What do you want from yourself Yang?" My back bumped against the wall and the other me got right in my face.

"I don't know just leave me alone!" I shoved her away. "That was weak! What happened to us! We used to be strong!" She grabbed my arm and threw me across the room. I hit the floor and rolled. I struggled to my feet. "Yeah we use to be. But look at me now!" I waved my tied off sleeve at her. "I'm useless now. I can't even close my eyes without seeing him and freaking out. What good am I to anyone right now!?" She walked over and stood in front of me. "I'm you, how would I know the answer to that?" She released Ember Celica and pulled her right arm back. "Come back when you figure it out." I saw the flash and heard the retort of my weapon.

I woke up sweating, my right arm ached where it was cut off. I sighed and got out of bed. I grabbed a change of clothes and walked to the bathroom to take a shower. I look in the mirror before getting in. I had dark bags under my eyes. _The more I have nightmares the darker they get._ My eyes were also kind of dull, not as vibrant as usual. I sighed and got into the shower, letting the warm water wake my tired muscles. _What was the point of that dream?_

I finally made it down stairs and went into the kitchen. My stomach was growling so I pulled out a skillet and ignited the stove. I grabbed some eggs from the fridge and cracked them into the skillet. I put the remaining eggs back and grabbed a spatula from one of the drawers. The eggs started popping and sizzling in the skillet. I heard a thumping sound and looked out the window. Dad was stacking up wood next to the house. I walked over to the window and spoke. "I'm cooking eggs if you want any." Dad turned towards the window and smiled. "Thank you sweetie, but I already ate." He went back to stacking wood. I scraped the eggs around, scrambling them, and slid them out of the skillet and onto a plate. I placed the skillet in the sink and turned the stove off. I grabbed a fork and took my eggs into the living room.

I placed the eggs in front of me and grabbed the remote. I turned the tv on and scrolled through the channels, finally deciding on an old cartoon I use to watch when I was little. I forked eggs into my mouth and watched my cartoon. I couldn't shake the dream I had last night from my mind. Something about it just gnawed at me. I tried to push it to the back of my mind for now and ate my eggs. My show ended so I decided to test my luck with the news again. I saw the headline, went to the backdoor, shouted for Dad. "Hey Dad, you might want to come see this." I went back into the living room and few seconds later Dad came in. The news was still on the same subject and I turned the volume up. "-unexplained phenomenon occurring in many towns and villages attacked by Grimm. When authorities or Huntsmen and Huntresses arrive on scene there are no signs of Grimm yet all of them claim to find mysterious rose petals and signs of battle between the Grimm and an unknown force. More after these commercials." I turned the channel and looked to Dad.

He sighed and then smiled. "Well at least we know she's still alive and fighting." He placed his hand on my head. "Thanks for calling for me." I got up and took my plate and fork to the kitchen. "What do you want from yourself?" I almost dropped the plate but steadied myself and look around. _Great now I'm hearing things too._ I started running water and dabbed some dish soap into the sink. I scrubbed down the skillet, plate, and fork, rinsed them off, and left them to dry.

I went out back where Dad was working. He had a large stack of wood up against the house from working all morning. "Hey Yang, what are you up to?" He lodged the axe in the stump he was using to split logs. "I was thinking of going into town and I was wondering if I could borrow some money." He sighed but smiled at me and reached into his back pocket. "So I'm an ATM now, I see how it is." He pulled out some lien and handed it to me. "This should be more than enough for anything you want to do. Have fun." He hugged me and then I followed the road into town.


	4. A Father Daughter Moment

It was decently warm outside and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Zwei decided to come along with me and was currently running around in circles and rolling in the grass. I could see the edge of town up ahead and the moving figures of people. "Zwei quit chasing birds. Town is right there, come on." He yipped at the bird he was chasing then walked over to my side. Dad had given me more than enough money for anything I wanted or needed. _Probably just happy that I'm getting out of the house._ We got to town and I stopped outside the old gym I use to train at. Dad brought me here and taught me how to box when I was younger. Part of me wanted to go inside. _Why would you go in? You have no reason to be in there._ I kept walking, trying to ignore the voice in my head.

I had no idea what I wanted to do or why I was here. I looked at all the buildings and shops trying to find something to do. Zwei barked and ran over to an ice cream cart. He looked back and barked, wanting me to come over. "Looks, like your dog wants some ice cream." I pulled out some money, "Can I have some vanilla in a bowl for Zwei, and I guess I'll have strawberry in a cone please." He scooped strawberry into a cone and handed it to me. I sat on a nearby bench while he scooped Zwei's ice cream into a bowl. He set the bowl down next to the bench on I was using and Zwei started eating. "Thank you," I gave a light smile to the man.

I slowly at my ice cream and tried to enjoy the day. I heard the unmistakable sound of metal clashing against metal. His mask floated to the front of my mind. _No, he's not here._ Zwei had finished his ice cream and was waiting on me. "Let's go see what that sound is." He grabbed his bowl and walked over to a trashcan. He jumped up and spit the bowl into the can. I continued eating my ice cream as we tried to find the source of the sound. We finally found the source at the park. Two people looked like they were having a sparring match and others were sitting or standing watching them. I decided to stick around for a bit and chose a shady spot under a tree to finish my ice cream. Slowly I noticed that some of the onlookers were staring at me rather than the sparring match. I heard whispering from a few kids near me. "Is that her?" "I think, she has long blonde hair and that symbol on her jacket belongs to Mr. Taiyang, the Huntsman who lives here on Patch." Soon the sparring partners noticed to and stopped. Before I could leave people started coming up to me. "Excuse me, are you Yang Xiao Long?" "You went to Beacon, right?" "What was the school like?"

I felt like I was shrinking and that space was closing in on me. My heart started beating incredibly fast and Zwei could tell I was getting uncomfortable. "I…uh, I…" I shoved my way through the crowd of people and started running. I didn't know where I was going. I just kept running and running until I couldn't breathe anymore and fell to my knees. My eyes were stinging, and my lungs were on fire. I heard a bark and then felt Zwei's tongue on my face. My breathing was erratic and I couldn't get it under control. I looked up to see where I was and coughed when I realized where I ran to. There was a clearing ahead of me that ended in a cliff. At the very edge of the cliff was a medium stone memorial. I could barely see the picture carved into it but I already knew it was a rose. I was at Summer's… _No, Mom's. I'm at Mom's grave._ I stood up and slowly walked over to the memorial. I kneeled in front of it and placed my hand on the rose, feeling the cool carved stone.

"Hi…Mom. It's been a while hasn't it? I know Ruby visits you periodically but I'm sure you miss your other daughter too." A tear rolled down my face and dropped onto the stone. "I'm sorry I haven't visited you in a while, but right now I just don't know what to do. Everything fell apart. Our team broke apart after the attack on Beacon. My partner ran away, Ruby's partner was taken back to Atlas by her father, Ruby's run off to Mistral, and all I have left is Dad. To top it all off, as you've probably seen by now, I lost my arm." More tears rolled down my face. "I feel so useless and I don't know what to do. I need your help; I need your advice. Please just give me something, tell me what to do." I rested my forehead on the stone, no longer trying to hold back, and just cried. I cried, and cried, and cried. Nothing turned out like it was supposed to. Team RWBY was supposed to become Huntresses and protect the world. Instead we were broken apart and scattered to the wind.

"Do you want to know what Summer would tell you?" I looked behind me and I could see Dad through the tears. "She'd tell you that you're Yang Xiao Long, the beautiful blonde haired brawler, with or without your arm. She'd tell you that everyone losses a fight sometime in their life. She'd tell you that what makes a great Huntress is how you deal with adversity and hardship." Dad came over and placed his hand on the memorial. "She'd then tell you to pick yourself up off the ground and that you're helping her make cookies when you get home." He stuck out his hand. "Come on Yang, let's go home. You're helping me make cookies." He smiled warmly at me. I smiled through the tears and grabbed ahold of his hand, allowing him to help me to my feet. "Okay Dad."


	5. Cookies and Dream

The kitchen along with the rest of the house smelled like cookies. Dad told me that he was on his way to Mom's grave when he saw me running through the woods. After my little episode, we came back home and started baking. "It's been a while since-" I was cut off as Dad shoved a spoon into my mouth. I was upset until I tasted the sugar from the cookie dough on the spoon. I pulled the cookie dough free spoon from my mouth. "You're lucky there was cookie dough on that spoon." He laughed and scooped more cookie dough onto the baking sheet. "Oh lighten up, Yang." I took my spoon and scooped more cookie dough into my mouth. The timer oven timer dinged signaling the finish of the next batch of cookies. I grabbed a hot pad and Dad opened the oven for me. I grabbed the baking sheet and set it on the stove while Dad put the last batch in.

"Thanks Dad…for earlier." He closed the oven and rest the timer. "No one can make it through life alone Yang. Everyone needs help through the hard times. I'm just lucky I had you and Ruby to help me." I picked up one of the cookies that had been cooling for a while and bit into it. It was nice and crisp on the outside but still warm and gooey on the inside. The sun was setting and I could see a perfect view from the kitchen. I finished off the cookie and then grabbed the cookie jar. I started layering the cookies around the bottom of the jar. "You can always talk to me Yang." I kept layering the cookies until there were none left. "I know Dad. I just… It takes time." He sighed. "Yeah, I know." I hugged him and then headed for the stairs. "I kinda had a long day, I'm gonna head to bed now. I love you Dad." "I love you too Yang."

Zwei followed me to my room. "You've gotten used to sleeping with me, haven't you?" He yipped back happily. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. Light was still illuminating the horizon in a shower of yellow, red, and orange. I pulled Zwei to my chest and held him as my eyes grew heavy. "Good night Zwei."

I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was the same giant mirror from last night. "So you've come back. Can you answer my question yet?" The other me was sitting on top of a desk nearby slowly swinging her legs back and forth. "Why won't you just leave me alone?" I sighed and looked into the empty mirror. "Like I told you, I'm you. It's not like you can leave yourself alone." I turned to face her. "No, you're the old me." She swung herself off the desk. "Geez you need to lighten up." I clenched my fist, trying to resist the urge to punch her. "If you still don't have the answer then we're done here." She walked over to the light switch and flicked it off, engulfing the entire room in darkness.

I opened my eyes and I was back in my room. It was still dark outside but I felt wide awake now. Zwei was sleeping, curled up next to me. I grabbed Zwei and moved him to my other side so I could get out of bed. I walked over to my closet and grabbed the box sitting at the top. I took it down to the living room and sat on the couch. I turned one of the lamps on and set the box in front of me. The Atlas symbol stared back at me. I removed the lid and stared at the metal prosthetic inside. I reached for it tentatively and stopped just before my fingers touched the metal. I sighed and pulled away from it. I grabbed the lid and placed it back on the box. I went into the kitchen and looked for the cookies. I grabbed one from the jar and ate it while staring out the window. The moon was getting close to the horizon so I assumed the sun would be rising soon.

I grabbed the box and took it back upstairs. I set it on the dresser next to Ember Celica. I hadn't touched it in months. A thick layer of dust had accumulated on it. I grabbed it and shook the dust off. I worked it onto my wrist and looked at it. _It's been a while._ I put on a pair of sweatpants and my jacket and went back down stairs. I unlocked the back door and stepped outside. I walked to roughly the middle of the yard and kicked my heel into the ground marking where I would stand. I looked around for something I could use and decided to grab a few pieces of wood form the stack that Dad had made. I set up a few pieces at varying distances from where I marked my spot. I stood and the spot and took a few deep breaths. I released Ember Celica and planted my feet. I focused on my nearest target and took another breath. I punched out and pulled the trigger sending a blast at the wood. It hit the wood and scorched it, leaving orange streaks where the wood was still slightly burning.

I focused on another piece and sent a blast at it. When I saw it connect I turned on another. I sent a blast at that one and the one next to it. My heart was beating fast and my ears were pounding from the adrenaline. I turned on the next but instead of a piece of wood Adam Taurus was standing there. He lunged at me and I stumbled back screaming. I tripped in a dip in the yard and fell, my ankle twisting. I felt arms around me and tried to fight him off. "No, let me go! Get away from me!" I kept struggling but the grip got tighter. "Yang! Yang, calm down! It's me, it's Dad!" I stopped struggling when I heard his voice. I deactivated Ember Celica and threw it off my arm, letting it hit the ground and roll to a stop.

Dad helped me inside and sat me on the couch before heading back outside. When he came back in he had Ember Celica in his hand. He held it out and I shook my head. "No just…get it away from me." He sighed and set it down. "I think I twisted my ankle. Can you grab me some ice?" He nodded and went into the kitchen and came back out a minute later with a bag of ice and some athletic wrap. "Which ankle was it?" "My right one." He gently pulled my foot up onto the couch. He placed the ice bag around it and started wrapping it in the athletic wrap. "What were you doing out there Yang?" I winced a little when he set my foot back down. "I woke up and saw Ember Celica sitting on my dresser. I just put it on and went outside. I just wanted a few targets to blast." I looked over at Ember Celica lying on the end table. "But why were you screaming?" I focused on the ground and closed my eyes. "I saw him, Adam Taurus. He lunged at me and I freaked out." I opened my eyes, not breaking eye contact with the floor. "Do you want some cookies?" I nodded. "Okay I'll grab them." He grabbed the cookie jar and brought it into the living room. I grabbed one from the jar and ate it. "We'll ice your ankle for a bit, but then you need to go back to bed." I nodded and continued to eat cookies.

Dad helped me up the stairs and back to my bed. Zwei was still sleeping on it, hadn't even moved from where I set him. Dad helped me up onto my bed, "Try to go back to sleep." He kissed my forehead and left. I cuddled into Zwei and tried to go back to sleep. When I opened my eyes, I was once again greeted by the large empty mirror. "Well that was certainly entertaining to watch." I glared at the other me as she laid on a desk and stared at the ceiling. "I'm getting real tired of you showing up." I growled at her. She laughed and sat up. "Oh yeah, what are you gonna do about it?" She smiled at me in that 'Bring it!' way that I'm more than familiar with. "Oh my god, what do you want from me?" Her smile dropped to a look of disappointment. "I thought I told you once before. It's not what I want from you. It's what you want from yourself. You clearly still haven't figured it out. When you figure it out you know where to find me." She waved at me and I woke up.


	6. To be Strong

I blinked a few times. The sun was shining directly on my face and I could feel the heat from the light. Zwei wasn't on my bed and my door was open. I stepped out of bed and lost my balance when the pain in my ankle flared. I hit the floor hard and a few seconds later I could hear fast footsteps coming up the stairs. "Yang are you okay?" I used my bed to pull myself up and lightly put weight on my right foot. "Yeah, I forgot about my ankle and tried to get out of bed too fast." He smiled when he realized I was fine. "Well I'm headed out to pick up some groceries. I'll be back in about forty-five minutes." I grabbed some clothes and went to take a shower.

I felt exhausted, another sign of a restless night. My lilac eyes were almost grey from how dull they looked. I turned the water to hot and got in the shower. The hot water helped steady my mind. _Why do I keep having that dream?_ _What does she mean what do I want from myself?_ I tried to make sense of the dream but I just didn't get what she was trying to tell me. _Or what I'm trying to myself, as she'd put it._ I shampooed, rinsed, and got out of the shower. _I'll figure it out eventually._ I put my clothes on and went downstairs. Ember Celica was still sitting on the end table from early this morning. I stared at it briefly before I decided to put it back on. I released it once then deactivated it, returning it to its harmless bracelet form. "Decided to put it back on?" Dad walked through the front door with grocery bags in his hands. "Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it." He smiled and held out a few bags. "Can you help put these away?" I held out my arm and he placed a few bags on it. "Yeah, sure." We placed the bags on the kitchen table and began putting groceries away.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" I continued stacking the cans in the pantry. "Not right now." The image of Adam lunging at me came to the forefront of my mind. I just focused on the groceries and tried not to let it shake me up. "Yang, I want to he-" "In time Dad, just not right now." I grabbed another bag from the table and started on that. "I need to figure something out on my own first." I finished putting the groceries away and grabbed my shoes. "Can you wrap my ankle up? I'm heading out for a bit today." He grabbed the athletic wrap, "Put your foot up here." I did as instructed and he tightly wound the wrap around my ankle. "I'll be back later." I hugged Dad before I left, "Be safe Yang." I smiled at him before leaving. "Always."

I knew exactly where I was headed this time and soon found myself kneeling in front of Mom's grave. "Hi again. I hope that my crying didn't upset you too much last time. I also hope that watching Dad and me make cookies cheered you up. That's not what I came here for though." I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. "I've been having these dreams lately. I always show up in a classroom with a large mirror, but the mirror doesn't reflect anything. There's also another me there. I don't understand what she wants though. Whenever I ask her what she wants she just keeps telling me that it isn't what she wants, but it's what I want. I don't get it though. I'm not sure what she means by what I want." A gust of wind blew by, making my hair dance with it. "You and Dad helped me last time I needed answers and I'm hoping you can help me again." I stood up and smiled at the memorial. "I'll come visit again soon."

I stopped by the ice cream guy again. "Do you have any of those multi cup carriers?" He nodded and pulled one out. "Sure do what can I get you?" I looked at the flavors he had. "Can I get a vanilla, a strawberry, and a banana, all in cups please." He nodded and started scooping out the ice cream. I pulled some money out and handed it over. "Keep the change." He smiled and handed me the ice cream carrier. "Thank you miss." I headed home with the ice cream, feeling a little easier now that I had visited Mom.

"I'm home, and I brought ice cream!" Zwei jumped over the back of the couch and jumped up and down happily, trying to grab the ice cream from my hand. "Calm down Zwei. You'll get your ice cream." I handed Dad his banana, set Zwei's vanilla on the ground, and my strawberry on the end table. "I'll grab some spoons." I grabbed two spoons from the kitchen and sat on the couch next to Dad. "Thanks sweetie, did you have a nice time?" I thought back to when I was at Mom's grave and smiled. "Yeah, I did." I had only been gone for about two hours but it felt longer. "I went and visited Mom again. It was nice." Dad smiled and ate his ice cream. "Yeah I always feel better after I go and visit Summer. It's comforting to speak to her. Did you figure out what you needed to?" I shook my head, "No not yet. Don't worry about that though. Let's just watch tv and eat the ice cream I so generously bought." He laughed and lightly pushed me. "Yeah with my money." I laughed too and spooned more ice cream into my mouth.

I'm not sure how long we watched tv but when I looked outside it was dark. "I think I'm ready for bed, you need to go to sleep too Yang." I was tired but didn't want to leave the couch. I reached my arm out as he stood. "Carry me." He rolled his eyes. "Yang, you're seventeen." I dropped my arm and put on a pouty face. "Oh my- fine, you big baby I'll carry you." He kneeled and I climbed onto his back. "I'm your big baby though." I smiled as he laughed. "Yeah, yeah you are. Don't ever tell Ruby how much I've been spoiling you or she'll never let it go." It was my turn to laugh now. "Don't worry, I know you love Ruby just as much as you love me. I love both of you too." He pushed my door open with his foot. "Sorry Yang, ride's over." I put on another pouty face and slid off his back, "Awww but I don't wanna." He ruffled my hair and laughed at me. "Goodnight kiddo." I crawled into bed. "Goodnight Dad." Zwei jumped up, nipping at Dad's hand. "Goodnight to you too, Zwei." He barked happily as Dad scratched his ear. "Come on Zwei, Dad wants to sleep." Zwei ran over and jumped up onto my bed. I stared at the moon and thought about today. I smiled thinking of how I made Dad smile and hopefully made Mom smile too. When I'm at Mom's grave and when I'm with Dad I feel safe. I wasn't afraid when I was with them. All at once a realization came to me. _I think I've figured it out._ I smiled and drifted off to sleep.

The large mirror stood before me once again. "I have an answer now." The other me walked out from behind the mirror. "It's about time. So tell me, what's your answer?" I smiled at her. "You wanted to know what I wanted from myself right?" She nodded. "I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want Dad to stop worrying about me all the time. I want to be strong again, for everyone who needs me to be." I walked towards the other me. "But I can't do that as I am right now. I need to accept that I'm not the old me, and I won't ever be the old me again." I hugged the other me and when I pulled away she started to crack. The cracks grew larger and larger until she shattered like glass and in her place, was me, as I am now. She looked at her new appearance and smiled. "I knew you'd figure it out." She stood in front of the mirror and looked back. "We were always strong Yang. It's like Dad told us. No one can make it through life alone." She stepped back into the mirror and turned, reflecting me perfectly. She smiled and waved at me. "Have fun Yang, you won't be bothered by me anymore."

I woke up smiling. I could hear Dad moving around downstairs and Zwei barking in the backyard. I got out of bed and got ready to head downstairs. I stopped before making it to the door. I looked over at the long white box on my dresser. I walked over to it and lifted the lid. I stared at the prosthetic inside. _No I need to do this._ I took a deep breath and lifted it out of the box. I brought it up to my arm and secured it in place. I focused on the arm and tried to make the fingers move. Ever so slowly I got all the fingers to twitch. I tried to make a fist but it wasn't responding. _Come on Yang, you can do this._ I thought of Dad and Ruby, and how much I wanted to be strong again, for both of them. Slowly the hand closed into a fist. I tried it a few more times until it opened and closed with relative ease. _These Atlas guys are good at what they do._ I bent the arm at the elbow a few times and checked once more to make sure I could move the fingers.

I looked downstairs to make sure Dad wasn't in the living room then slowly descended the stairs. I peeked into the kitchen and he was at the sink washing dishes. I slowly crept up behind him, hoping he didn't notice me. "Good morning Yang." He laughed and didn't even look away from the dishes. _Perfect._ "You could at least look at me when you say 'Good Morning'." I smiled as he turned around, a dish still in his hands. "Good morning Ya-" He dropped the dish and it shattered on the floor. I walked up and wrapped both arms of my arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Good morning, Dad" He wrapped his arms around me and returned my hug. "Good morning, Yang."

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 **I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this. I really loved how this story turned out and how this chapter wrapped up. Now personally I feel like this would be a great ending to this story but I have so many ideas that could make this story go on. So I'm reaching out to you faithful RWBY (and Yang) fans for a little bit of feedback. I want to know if you want this story to continue or if you're happy with it ending here. Just leave some reviews and let me hear your thoughts and criticism.**

 **Hope you enjoyed- Phaser89**


	7. Author's Note

After giving it some thought I have decided to not continue with this specific story. I feel like the final chapter concluded the original concept for this story in the first place; to see how Yang would deal with and overcome what had happened. However, I will only not continue adding to this specific story. I will continue chronicling Yang's story from the end of chapter 6 but as a different story as the purpose of this one has concluded. If you want to continue reading the story of the Blonde Brawler, then check out my new story _Burning Heart._ I hope you'll all join me on this fantastic voyage into the story that is Yang Xiao Long.

Keep on Reading- Phaser89


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